Outriders

# Outriders Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The measured FPS data for Outriders with this Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, but with some notable inflection points that merit closer inspection. At 1080p, the setup delivers exceptional frame rates that suggest the CPU is doing substantial heavy lifting, while at 4K Ultra, the numbers drop to a level that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary constraint. This analysis examines the measured rows to understand how these two components interact within this looter shooter.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a clear and consistent pattern of GPU-bound scaling, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 180.8 at 1080p to 118.7 at 1440p, then to 57.8 at 4K — a reduction of roughly 68% from the lowest to highest resolution. This steep decline at 4K High, where the system barely maintains 57.8 FPS, indicates that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard by the higher pixel count.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system achieves 261.5 FPS, which only drops to 214.4 at 1440p and 110.1 at 4K. The relatively modest 58% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings suggests that at lower quality, the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are able to keep feeding the GPU more effectively, and the bottleneck shifts less dramatically. Medium settings show an intermediate pattern: 233.7 FPS at 1080p, 155.2 at 1440p, and 80 at 4K.

Ultra settings produce the most constrained results. The system starts at 131.1 FPS at 1080p, falls to 87 at 1440p, and bottoms out at 46.9 at 4K. The fact that 4K Ultra dips below 60 FPS is significant; the data shows that this combo cannot sustain smooth 4K gameplay at the highest quality preset. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra represents a 46% performance loss, which is steeper than the 35% loss seen at High settings, indicating that Ultra's additional graphical load disproportionately taxes the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores (configured as performance and efficiency cores), 20 threads, and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, appears to provide ample headroom for Outriders at most settings. The benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. This single-core strength matters for a looter shooter that often relies on consistent frame pacing.

Evidence of CPU capability emerges most clearly at 1080p Low, where the system hits 261.5 FPS. This high frame rate, far beyond typical display refresh rates, suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 131.1 FPS result indicates the processor can handle the game's physics and AI workloads without creating a bottleneck. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility that likely contributes to consistent frame delivery.

However, the CPU's role becomes less prominent as resolution increases. At 4K, the difference between Low (110.1 FPS) and Ultra (46.9 FPS) is 63 FPS, a gap that is almost entirely attributable to GPU workload rather than CPU processing. The data suggests that while the i5-14600K is more than sufficient for this game, its performance percentile of 93 versus all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, shows only a 0.2% delta in average benchmark score. This indicates that the CPU is not the constraining component in this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, brings 5888 shading units and 46 ray tracing cores to the table. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS provide the raw compute needed for high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's capabilities clearly. At 1440p High, the system produces 118.7 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. At 4K High, the 57.8 FPS result is borderline playable but indicates the GPU is nearing its limits. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 46.9 FPS, confirms that this card is not designed for max-quality 4K gaming in Outriders. The GPU's percentile ranking of 81 versus all GPUs places it in the upper tier, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.6% lower average score) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (2.2% higher), showing that desktop and mobile parts can converge in performance.

Interestingly, the GPU's memory configuration plays a role in the scaling. The 192-bit bus and 12 GB capacity are adequate for 1440p, where the system achieves 87 FPS at Ultra, but the 4K Ultra result suggests that memory bandwidth (504.2 GB/s) is strained by the higher resolution's texture and geometry demands. The data implies that for 4K gaming, users would need to rely on lower presets to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 249th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the top 15% of all configurations tested for this game, a strong showing that reflects the balanced nature of the pairing. The rank indicates that while there are many faster combos, this setup outperforms the vast majority of tested systems.

The ranking is particularly noteworthy given that the CPU and GPU, individually, hold percentiles of 93 and 81 respectively. The combined rank of 249 suggests that the pairing is synergistic — the CPU's strength at high frame rates complements the GPU's capability at moderate settings. The data shows that this combo is better suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K, where its rank would likely be lower if measured separately at that resolution.

When compared to other combos in the database, this system's performance at 1080p High (180.8 FPS) and 1440p High (118.7 FPS) demonstrates that it can drive modern displays effectively. The 4K results, however, reveal that the combo is not optimized for ultra-high-resolution gaming, which is consistent with its mid-to-upper tier ranking rather than a top-tier position.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 180.8 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors, and even Ultra at 131.1 FPS is smooth. Users with 1080p displays can safely choose Ultra for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 118.7 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. Medium at 155.2 FPS offers even higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in a looter shooter's particle effects and lighting. Ultra at 87 FPS is still playable, though the 31 FPS drop from High to Ultra suggests diminishing returns. For competitive play, Low at 214.4 FPS maximizes responsiveness.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. High at 57.8 FPS is the highest preset that maintains near-60 FPS, but Medium at 80 FPS provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 46.9 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Low at 110.1 FPS is the best option for 4K users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality. The data suggests that 4K users should stick with Medium or High, depending on their tolerance for occasional frame dips.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Outriders?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings (118.7 FPS) offers the best balance, while 1920x1080 at Ultra (131.1 FPS) provides the highest quality with good performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The measured results show 110.1 FPS at 4K Low and 80 FPS at 4K Medium, while 4K Ultra drops to 46.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K's average benchmark score is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, with a delta of 0.2% in favor of the Intel part.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data shows 261.5 FPS at 1080p Low and 180.8 FPS at 1080p High, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at this resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium achieves 155.2 FPS while Ultra achieves 87 FPS, a difference of 68.2 FPS in favor of Medium.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 249th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the top 15% of all systems tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 261.5 FPS on Low, 233.7 FPS on Medium, 180.8 FPS on High, and 131.1 FPS on Ultra. These results show a clear progression where each quality step costs roughly 20-50 FPS, with the largest drop occurring between Medium and High (52.9 FPS).

At 2560x1440, the measured results are 214.4 FPS on Low, 155.2 FPS on Medium, 118.7 FPS on High, and 87 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium here is 59.2 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 31.7 FPS, showing that the GPU begins to feel the pressure at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops to 110.1 FPS on Low, 80 FPS on Medium, 57.8 FPS on High, and 46.9 FPS on Ultra. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 10.9 FPS, indicating that Ultra's additional effects provide minimal visual benefit relative to the performance cost. The data across all resolutions confirms that this system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates across all settings, with 4K reserved for users willing to compromise on quality.